A Handwritten Passport: A Nepalese Student's Immigration Woes

…………………………………. No matter how far I travel, I proudly carry my Nepali identity with me. Unfortunately, my identity and my green passport often attract unwanted attention, for the simple fact that I am from the third world. The fact that all my information in my passport is hand written does not help me much either. Every time someone asks me why my passport is that way. I tell them that some people like to modernize and digitalize everything but my country’s government officials want me to hand write my information. This is the only passport I get, so I take it rather than try to change Nepali bureaucracy.However, my handwritten passport does not help me make a good impression when I’m in an airport checking in or I’m passing through immigration. The second they see my Nepali passport, they quickly start scrutinizing it, looking carefully at my picture and then at me. They tend to repeat it about three times until they are convinced that the person in the passport is me. Then they put my passport through the scanner and check it for validity. Knowing the state of passport making in my country and the number of people who have made fake passports,………………………..I stand there hoping that the official stamps my passport and allows me to go to school.………………………………………….. Once the officials see my US visa, my I-20 ……………………… they never stop me or question me much more than asking what I study. [View Full Article]